Rotary brush assemblies



Nov. 26, 196s E. J. AHERN ETA.. 3,412,417

ROTARY BRUSH ASSEMBLIES Filed Aug. 25, 1967 fnl/anions 1 /2 y E'c/wam' JAI-lern f4 I6 Rhard Harn er r am# United States Patent 0 3,412,417 ROTARY BRUSH ASSEMBLIES Edward J. Ahern, Manchester, and Richard B. Maxner,

Amherst, N.H., assignors to S. A. Felton & Son Company, Incorporated, Portland, Maine, a corporation of Maine Filed Aug. 25, 1967, Ser. No. 663,419 6 Claims. (Cl. 15-183) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to rotary brushes and is directed more particularly to rotary brushes of the type utilized in automatic car wash operations.

Description of the prior art It has become commonplace in automatic car washing facilities to utilize relatively large rotary brushes mounted in such a way as to engage the sides and top of an automobile passing through the facility. Brushes of this type generally comprise a number of brush elements bolted at either end to circular end members which support the brush elements and which are caused to rotate about a common axis by power means.

Inasmuch as such brushes sustain extended periods of use, they are subject to relatively rapid wear. It is the practice in the car wash industry to replace the elements of the brush as they become worn. The brushes heretofore have presented a problem in that the time required for exchanging some or all of the elements has been excessive, requiring extended shutdown periods to permit the brush changing operation. Much of the time spent in replacing brush elements has Ibeen utilized in unbolting the two ends of each old element and bolting the two ends of each new element. Inasmuch as each brush may comprise on the order of twenty or so elements, the length of time required to extract old elements and substitute new elements readily may be appreciated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a rotary brush made up of brush elements which may be easily and quickly replaced by new brush elements.

It is a further object of the present invention to pro- -vide a rotary brush assembly, suitable for use in automatic car washing facilities, having means for receiving and retaining brush elements and for readily releasing such elements when it is desired that they be replaced.

With the above objects in view and in accordance with a feature of the invention, the illustrative brush assembly comprises first and second circular end members rotatable about a common axis and retaining therebetween a nurnber of elongated brush elements. The rst and second end ICC members include peripheral means for releasably retaining the ends of the brush elements whereby to permit quick and easy replacement of the brush elements of the assembly.

The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will no'w -be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular device embodying the invention is shown by way of illustration only and not as a limitation of the invention. The principles and features of this invention may be employed in various and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which there is shown an illustrative embodiment of the invention from which its novel features and advantages will be apparent.

The single figure is an exploded perspective view of one form of brush assembly illustrative of an embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawing, it may be seen that the illustrative brush assembly includes a iirst circular end member 2 and a second circular end member 4 interconnected by an axle 6 disposed along the common axis of the two end members. The axle 6 is connected to a power source which is not shown, but which may comprise an electric motor which causes rotation of the axle 6 and thereby the circular end mem-bers 2, 4.

Disposed between the end members 2, 4 are a number of elongated brush elements 8, each brush element 8 comprising a core piece 10 having bristles 12 secured thereto.

To receive brush element ends the circular member 2 is provided with a series of recesses 14 extending inwardly from the periphery of the end member 2 and having enlarged portions 16 which receive and retain a brush element end. The recess portion 16 is closed on its lower side as seen in the drawing so that once having received a. brush element the brush element is removable only by lifting the element upwardly and out of the recess portion 16. The recesses 14 are open along the periphery of the plate 2 to permit drainage of water.

The end member 4 is provided with a number of leaf spring clip members 18 mounted on the periphery of the end member. The clip members 18 are expanded at their free ends to provide an entrance 20 into each member 18. The clip members 18 are adapted to receive and retain the ends of the core pieces 10 of the brush elements 8.

To insure that the upper ends of the brush element core pieces are not pulled from the clip members 18 during a period of brush usage, a locking plate 22 is provided which is attached to the end member 4, as by screws 24 and which has a peripheral flange portion 26 which encloses the clip members 18 and prevents the brush element core pieces 10 from leaving the clip members.

In operation, when it is necessary to change a number of brush elements, the brush rotating means is stopped.

The screws 24 and the locking plate 22 are removed. The upper ends of the brush element core pieces are pulled radially outwardly and then upwardly, as in the illustrative embodiment, so that the upper end of the core pieces are withdrawn from the clip members 18 and the lower ends of the core pieces are withdrawn from the recesses 14. New brush elements are inserted at the lower ends into the recesses 14. The upper ends of the new brush elements are the pushed radially inwardly whereby to be engaged by the clip members 18 of the end member 4. The locking plate 22 is then placed on the end member 4 and fastened thereto by the screws 24. The brush assembly is then ready to resume operation.

Since certain obvious changes may be made in the illustrated device without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matters contained herein be interpreted in an illustrative and not a limiting sense.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a rotary brush assembly having first and second end members and elongated brush elements disposed between said end members, that improvement comprising recess means disposed on said first end member for receiving first ends of said brush elements, spring clip means disposed on said second end member for receiving and releasably retaining second ends of said brush elements, and locking plate means adjacent said second end member for enclosing said spring clip means whereby to lock said second brush ends in said spring clip means.

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which said end members are circular and in which said recess means comprises recesses in said first end member, said recesses being open on the periphery of the first end member and being open on one side of the first member for receiving said first ends of said brush elements, said one side being opposed to said second end member, the peripheral recess openings being smaller than said brush element first ends, whereby to prevent movement of said brush element first ends within the recesses radially outwardly, but to permit drainage of fluid from said recesses.

3. In a rotary brush assembly having first and second end members and elongated brush elements disposed between said end members, that improvement comprising recess means disposed on said first end member for receiving first ends of said brush elements, spring clip means disposed on said second end member for receiving and releasably retaining second ends of said brush elements, and means for locking said second brush ends in said spring clip means, said spring clip means comprising leaf spring clips mounted on the peripheral portion of said second end member, said clips having entrances directed radially inwardly, said locking means comprising a locking plate adapted for fastening to said second end member, said plate having a peripheral flange which surrounds said second end member and said clip means when said locking plate is fastened to said second end member, whereby to prevent movement of said brush element second ends within said clips outwardly from said clips, and whereby upon removal of said locking plate said brush elements may be removed from said assembly upon application of pressure on said brush elements radially outwardly.

4. A brush assembly comprising first and second circular end members, brush elements disposed between said end members and interconnecting said end members, connecting means disposed on the peripheral portion of said end members for receiving ends of said brush elements, the connecting means of the first end member comprising recesses in said end member for receiving and retaining ends of said brush elements, the connecting means of the second end memlber comprising leaf spring clips mounted on said second end member for receiving and retaining ends of said brush elements, said connecting means being adapted to releasably retain said brush elements, and a locking plate engageable with said second end member for enclosing said spring clips whereby to lock the brush element ends in said spring clips.

5. In a rotary Ibrush assembly having first and second circular end members and elongated brush elements disposed between said members, that improvement comprising recess means disposed on said first end member for receiving first ends of said brush elements, said recess means comprising recesses in said first end member, said recesses being open on the periphery of the first end member and being open on one side of the first end member for receiving said first ends of said brush elements, said one side being opposed to said second end member, the peripheral recess openings being smaller than said brush element first ends, whereby to prevent movement of said brush element first ends within the recesses radially outwardly, but to permit drainage of Huid from said recesses, spring clip means disposed on said second end member for receiving and releasably retaining second ends of said brush elements, and locking plate means associated with said second end member for enclosing said spring clip means whereby to lock said second brush ends in said spring clip means.

6. A rotary car-washing brush comprising a first circular end member rotatable about its axis, said first end member having recess means for re ceiving first ends of brush elements,

said recess means comprising recesses about the periphery of said first end member,

said recesses having openings on one side of said end member and on the periphery of said end member,

said recesses being adapted to receive complementarily shaped ends of brushes, said brushes comprising elongated core pieces having tufts attached to one side thereof, the first of said core pieces being receivable by each of said recesses, the peripheral opening of each of said recesses being smaller than the width of said tuft supporting core piece side, whereby to prevent radial movement of said core piece in said recess outwardly from said recess, but to permit drainage of fluid from said recess,

a second circular end member rotatable about its axis, the axis of the second end member being common with the axis of the first end member,

an axle interconnecting said end members along said axis, said second end member having attached thereto about its periphery leaf spring clip members of a generally U configuration,

each of said slip members being liared outwardly from the centerline of the clip whereby to provide an entrance for a second end 4of a brush core piece,

each of said clips being in axial alignment with one of said recesses,

said clip entrances being pointed in directions radially outwardly from said second end member, whereby to receive said core piece by movement of said core piece radially inwardly toward said second end piece, said clips being adapted to retain said core piece second ends by spring pressure,

a circular locking plate, and

means for attaching said locking plate to one side of the second end member,

said locking plate having a peripheral flange which surrounds the second end member and the spring clips when the locking plate is attached to said second end member,

whereby to prevent movement of said brush element second ends within said clips outwardly from said clips, and whereby upon removal of said locking plate said brush elements may be removed from said assembly upon application of pressure on said brush elements radially outwardly, said pressure being -of 6, spring pressure holding power of the spring clips.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1917 Logan.

10/ 1931 Smellie et al. 15-5 2/1965 Mundo 15-179 7/1966 Wilgus 15--183 FOREIGN PATENTS 9/ 1917 Great Britain.

10/ 1953 Great Britain.

a magnitude sufficient to overcome the 15 PETER FELDMAN, Primary Examiner. 

